Safety
by bxblover
Summary: Being with his beloved Seto has become safe haven for Joey, but he sticks to visitation only. Until a close call with his father makes him realize how safe he can truly be at Kaiba Manor. SxJ. Part one of two chapters.


Joey smiled in anticipation as he straightened his backpack. Téa and Yugi were going to a party Tristan was throwing, but he had managed to get out of it by feigning illness…a specialty of his.

He took a deep breath, making steps down the sidewalk he now knew by heart. More days than not he'd come down this block, and due to his amazing powers of observation and memory, he'd memorized the whole thing: all the routes and turns, down to the last crack in the cement. …Or, maybe it was just because he'd traveled it every other day. Just a few more yards…

"Hey Joey!"

Mokuba Kaiba came running over to him, his little tie flapping in the air.

Grinning, Joey opened his arms, and picked the boy up in a warm hug, spinning him around before plopping him back on his feet. He tousled the childs hair affectionately. "Hiya Mokie, what's new?"

The raven-haired child tilted his head, as innocent and loyal as the day he was born. "Not much for me. What about you?"

He straightened, and walked with the kid down the sidewalk. Sometimes Mokuba was able to join him on this stroll---provided he hadn't done something to get himself stuck in detention. It amazed Joey that the lads brother hadn't decided to ship him into a private school. Maybe he just wanted his brother to grow up normally. Of course, since Mokuba was a Kaiba that possibility was automatically out of his reach. "I'm doing great. School's almost over, and that's the highlight of my year!"

Mokuba's eyes bugged out of his head. "What! Are you kidding? School's great! You've got all your friends around you, it relieves the boredom of staying at home, and you get an education."

The blonde sighed and snapped his fingers. "Oh, shoot kid. If it weren't for that last part you mighta' won me over."

Mokuba rolled his eyes, and smiled as they approached the familiar gate. "How long do you think, today?"

The older thought for a moment and shrugged. "I don't know. I might just end up staying the night."

The kid grinned, and pressed some random buttons on the keypad. Not like Joey knew those numbers…2 12 21 5. Or, in the equivalent of the alphabet, BLUE. "Alright! Sounds good."

The two males walked through the elaborate gate, passing a heavily flowered garden and at least half a dozen security guards. After that came a tall pair of double doors, which the duo easily opened and slipped inside.

There was a loud clicking as soon as they entered the atrium, and they both rolled their eyes heavenward before they looked at each other in a 'Oh no, not again' look.

In unison their bags dropped to the floor, and they jogged into the nearby office space/library, and were hit with the not-surprising sight of Seto Kaiba busily clacking at the keyboard of his Kaiba Corp. laptop on a plush two-person sofa, a cup of tea on the glass coffee table. He was wearing his reading glasses, and was uncharacteristically dressed rather casually in a black t-shirt and worn jeans.

Grinning with affection, Mokuba ran to the couch his brother was sitting at, and threw his arms around his neck. "Hi Seto!"

Laughing at the boy, Seto took his turn at tousling the unruly mane when he was set loose from the boys death-grip. "Hi Mokuba. How was school?"

"Awesome! I don't know why you always skip Seto; you learn so much!"

Seto rolled his eyes and adjusted the wire-rimmed lenses. "If you say so."

Mokuba wrinkled his nose, knowing he didn't entirely have his brother convinced.

However he didn't have time to say anything, for it was then that his older sibling noticed the blonde and said, "Hey Joey. You spending the night again?"

The blonde shrugged, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Why not. The old man can live without his punching bag."

Seto smiled warmly at him, and looked back over at Mokuba, smile still in place. "Dinner's in the oven."

The little Kaiba grinned, and dashed to the kitchen.

Once the smaller boy was gone, Joey took his place on the couch, glancing on the laptop, seeing a word document, and upon examination of the task bar, that was his only activity. "Not too busy I see. Just writing up tomorrows agenda?"

The man cleared his throat, and removed his glasses, placing them in the case lined with solid platinum, and a very detailed Blue Eyes carved in the middle. Wait…was that a blush? "Not exactly."

Joey blinked in curiosity, leaned forward, and his jaw dropped. "_His lips caressed over the tender flesh, worshipping his lover's body like a fine relic_…what the fuck?"

Kaiba abruptly snapped the laptop shut, his face bright red. "It's very rude to read over a persons shoulder."

Joey reached over into the other teens lap, and yanked away the computer. "Dude, what is this?"

Without waiting for an answer, he flipped it open, and scrolled to the top, while Seto just grasped his forehead in grief.

He smiled at the title. "_Blue Eyes_."

"Okay, seriously dude, you might have to get into a clinic. Your little obsession here is getting out of hand."

His friend rolled his eyes. "Oh, you're SO hilarious."

Joey grinned, and started from the top. His grin disappeared when he noticed the setting of the story. "HEY! This is placed in Kaiba Land!"

Kaiba shrugged. "That would be because it happens in Kaiba Land."

A little worried now, Joey turned back to the screen.

By the end of the first chapter, he was panting a little, and he felt sweaty. "Uh…Seto? That…is a little _more_ than familiar."

Kaiba sighed in exasperation, and took the laptop back so he could save and turn it off. "Yes, I based it on the time at the Blue Eyes coaster---"

"SETO!"

"What?" The CEO lurched back, his eyes growing wide at the murderous glare from the other teen.

"You're making our relationship _public_?"

Seto smirked at the boy with amber eyes. "No more than you did when you screamed out my name. Besides, I've got the names changed, so it's not like anyone's ever going to know."

Joey flushed scarlet, but said, "You _are_ giving the characters different names then?"

"Yes, puppy!" Kaiba murmured in agitation, crossing his arms and leaning back in disgruntlement.

After a pause, Joey's anger was gone, and he warmed up instantly. "Well, that's good to know." Taking the brunette by surprise Joey flipped around until he was straddling the others lap. "So I'm a Blonde God that haunts you in your sleep huh?" His voice and grin were practically reeking of smugness, usually reserved for that of the CEO.

Who rolled his eyes at the statement, just a tiny flush of pink to his cheeks. "You know you are."

Idly tracing his fingers over the words on the black shirt (Trust no one), the blondes grin widened. "You know, you're one hell of an author."

Seto looked up at this hopefully. "Really?"

His little moments of vulnerability no longer surprised the smaller duelist. He had become accustomed to seeing a side of the CEO that was kept for him and Mokuba alone. He felt…privileged in a sense, knowing something about the aloof blue-eyed teen that almost no one else even knew he could possess. "Really," Joey told him reassuringly, leaning down to nibble on his ear. "If you ever publish it you'll make millions."

There was no psychical response from the brunette, other than the allowance of his shirt being removed. "You really think that it's okay?"

His lover smiled reassuringly, and leaned down again, capturing his own lips in a chaste kiss. Against the CEO's mouth he muttered, "It's _amazing_. Made me hot just reading it."

Now satisfied the CEO's response was immediate and eager, arching his body into the other and kissing back at him hungrily. They ran their hands over each others torsos, angered when they were suddenly interrupted by a cheerful shout, "DINNER'S READY!"

Seto sighed with disappointment, wanting to pass up dinner, but knowing that Joey would never skip a meal. "I guess we can continue this later."

The blonde smiled ruefully. "No problem."

He rose to his feet and held out his hand. The brunette, still without a shirt, accepted the hand and they walked together to the dining room.

Sometime later, when Mokuba was asleep, and the smaller boy was wrapped in his arms, Seto was busy counting in his mind. Joey lay on the verge of sleep, his nude body snuggled against the CEO's. '_Four times the first month…seven the second…twelve after that…eleven then…twelve again_.'

As if the thoughts going through his mind were loud enough they echoed outside of his brain, he could feel Wheeler stir beside him. "Seto? Stop thinking and go to sleep."

The blue-eyed one let out a quiet snort, and softly kissed a spot on his forehead that was absent of tousled blonde hair. "I'm not sleepy."

He watched as the other yawned sleepily. "Wow. After a work-out like that one would assume you'd be exhausted." He cracked open one amber eye, and smiled wryly. "I guess there's no end to Seto Kaiba's greatness is there?"

Seto grinned. "Was there ever any doubt?" His tone suddenly turned serious. "Joey? Can I ask you something?"

The blonde attempted to snuggle closer to the other mans warm chest. "Ask quickly. I'm bordering on a dream right now."

"You come over here just about every other day."

That eye opened again, and this time there was evident suspicion written inside them. "Yeah?"

Kaiba bit his lip, but forged on. "And you've slept over a good number of times."

The suspicion inside his eyes was slowly creeping to the rest of his face. "Yeah? So?"

His brow furrowed at the nonchalance his lover was displaying. "Do you know that last month you spent the night here twenty-one times?"

Joey extricated himself from Seto's arms and abruptly sat up, clutching the sheets over his chest. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was such a burden. Maybe I should stop coming over."

Seto sat up in anger. "That isn't what I mean, and you KNOW it!" He wrapped his arms around Joey, and took a different approach. "You know I love having you here, no matter what…activities we pursue."

The blonde relaxed against him, and even scooted a little closer. "But it just concerns me Joey…have the beatings gotten that bad?"

His lover tensed at the mentions of his father. But Seto knew him well enough to detect any lies and Joey knew it. So he spoke honestly as he said, "They're not getting worse per say…just maybe a little more frequent."

This, Seto noticed, was true. Lately more times than not when Joey came over he was sporting a new bruise or scratch on some spot on his body. It worried Kaiba, seeing Joey always in such pain.

The CEO tightened his arms around the boy. "You do know that…if it comes down to it, then we'd be more than happy to let you live here."

Joey looked up his eyes wide, and knowing a protest was forthcoming Seto continued. "It's obvious that we have more than enough money to support you, Mokuba adores you, and you wouldn't even take up any space because you could sleep in here."

The blonde opened his mouth to reply, but he closed it again and looked around the room, almost like he was scanning it and had never been inside before. "Well…one could certainly get used to posh living."

Kaiba recognized this as the blondes not-too-subtle attempt at changing the subject; and for a moment he chose to humor the boy. "You've been here enough times, you should certainly be used to it by now."

Joey looked back at the brunette with a grin. "I'm working on it."

The brunette smiled, and brought them back around to the topic at hand. "So, is that a yes?"

Realizing his trick hadn't worked as well as he had hoped, the puppy sighed and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Uh…well…Seto, you know I appreciate the offer, but I can't---"

"You can't what?" Kaiba snapped, startling the shorter teen. "You can't leave the bastard who beats you all the time? The thought of being around me almost twenty-four/seven is so unbearable to you!" Immediately regretting his outburst, the brunette threw his arms around his lover, burying his nose in the whiskey-scented hair. He jumped a little when he felt cool arms wrap around his neck, one hand curled into a fist at his nape, and the other gently running through his hair. "I'm sorry."

Joey put his hands on Seto's shoulders and tilted his head slightly upwards so he could look him in the eye. "It's okay Seto. You really don't have to worry about me so much you know?"

The puppy gasped suddenly as the arms around his waist tightened considerably. "Maybe not…but I do anyway. And I always will."

He smiled, finding himself a handy loophole. "So it wouldn't ease your mind even if I did move in?"

The arms tightened even more, causing him to emit a light squeak. "It would actually be my one peace of mind if you were to stay here. The only reason I'm not worried about Mokuba all the time is because I know he's safe here."

The smaller duelist chuckled slightly. "Oh come on Kaiba, Mokuba's twelve years old. I'll admit he's not exactly at the 'he can handle himself' age, but if you're willing to take his advice in how to manage your company; almost like a partner even, then how do you end up worrying about him so much?"

Kaiba grinned at his partner knowingly. "How do you end up worrying about Serenity so much?"

The puppy wrinkled his nose in a pout, and he lowered his eyes down to the skillfully-embroidered coverlet that covered their bodies. "Point taken," he mumbled softly, conceding to his lover.

"So…are you going to move in or not?"

Joey sighed, actually considering it this time. Really, he didn't have anything to gain by staying at home. He got along with Mokuba and the staff, he would get to spend more time with Seto, and it was like he practically lived here anyway…but he would feel horrible, living on his boyfriend's money. Granted, there was a lot of it to spare but…Joey Wheeler just didn't feel right living off other people. At least when he didn't have something to repay them with. Snuggling back into Seto's arms, Joey put his hand on his lover's well-defined chest. "Look Seto, I know that you want to take care of me, and believe me the offer is more than tempting," he emphasized that statement with a soft kiss. "But I really wouldn't feel comfortable...just living here. Not really doing anything to earn eating your food, using up your water and electricity, without in some way making up for the inconvenience. Please let me find a job first? I don't want to live off your charity when I should at least be paying some kind of rent."

Joey could already tell by the stiff way he was being held that Seto didn't like this idea. "Any time I'm not over here or at school, I'll be job-hunting. That way dad won't see me and the moving-in process will go along quicker."

Seto sighed. "Very well then. If it would make you feel more comfortable to pay your way through…even though the notion that you're in any way an inconvenience is laughable at the very least."

The blonde smiled sweetly at his lover. "Thank you Seto."

The CEO lightened up considerably at this point, loosening his grip and even pulling away slightly to face his love. "You're welcome pup."

The lighter haired duelist ran his finger slowly down the other teens chest thoughtfully. "Um…is the abuse from my father the only reason you want me to move in Seto?"

Blinking down at the other boy Seto asked, "Why do you ask?"

Turning his head to the side off-handedly, Joey said to his pillow quietly, "Just curious."

Running his fingers through the boys head, his lover smiled gently. "There might have been some ulterior motive as well."

He redirected his gaze back to Seto. "And what would this motive be?"

"To spend more time with my mutt, of course."

A slight tinge of pink rose to the blonde's cheeks, unfortunately though his eyes remained unreadable. "You think we're serious enough to move in together?"

The CEO smiled and tilted his head, acting as if he was pondering. "Well let's see…we've been seeing each other for about six months, my little brother approves of you, I love you, and I certainly can't see my life being complete without you anymore, …so why wait?"

Amber eyes, which were previously emotionless and dark, were now shining with joy. "What was the third one again?"

He felt a tender kiss land on his mouth. "I love you Joey."

Giggling, the smaller teen snuggled closer in the sheets as well as planting an equally tender kiss on the CEO's lips. It wasn't the first time he had heard those selfsame words uttered by his boyfriend, far from it actually. It was just so wonderful to hear them come from that mouth…that voice. "I love you too Seto. And thank you for asking me to move in."

Cobalt eyes rolled dramatically. "Finally! Lord Mutt, you have such bad manners; I was beginning to wonder if I was _ever_ gonna get a 'thank you.'"

With a smile, the boy pushed the brunette onto his back, and proceeded to demonstrate his gratitude…

Four times.

(The next morning)

"BANZAI!"

Seto glanced up from his warm slumber, only to be greeted by a large shadow blocking the light from his ceiling. As soon as his mind registered what it was, he quickly pushed his lover almost off the bed before rolling away from the center of the mattress. Joey had just enough time to shoot him a confused glare before they were assaulted by fifty-some pounds of little brother. "GOOD MORNING SETO! GOOD MORNING JOEY!"

Laughing in a way only his brother and Joey could make him, Seto sat up in bed and whacked a spare pillow to his brother's head before pulling him into a hug. Meanwhile Joey was wrapped tightly in the blankets, his side of the sheets pulled all the way up to his chin. "Mokuba…"

A playful poke to his little stomach made the smaller Kaiba lurch back into the middle of the bed, glaring humorously at his older brother. Seto only laughed. "And what has you so energetic this morning?"

The raven-haired child smiled, and pointed to the digital alarm clock on Joeys side of the bed, who craned his neck to check the time, and his jaw dropped at the discovery. Yanking a pillow out from behind his head, the boy jumped out of the bed, covering himself with only the large pillow while he frantically scavenged the room looking for his boxers. "Seto! It was a SCHOOL NIGHT!"

Even after observing the hour of 7:30, the brunette still sat calmly in the bed with his little brother. "What's your point?"

He received an eye roll for that comment, both from his brother and from his boyfriend; who was comically trying to keep himself covered while he haphazardly put on his now-found boxers. "Seto, Joey's gonna be late for school; and so are we…unless you're skipping…_again_?"

The CEO rolled his eyes. "I suppose it would look suspicious if I was gone for a whole seven days in a row."

His brother grinned happily. "Alright! I'll let you guys get dressed; hurry downstairs soon or I'll get in the limo without you!"

Almost as instantly as he arrived Mokuba dashed out of the room, leaving Joey red-faced. Mokuba had learned of their relationship almost as soon as it began, and thanks to Joey's unrestrained voice, he knew of their nocturnal habits as well. Neither of them liked the idea of the kid knowing at first, but once he found out, he found out, and there wasn't anything they could do about it. Seto had long ago accepted the fact that Mokuba knew, and only minded when his brother chose to jibe him about the topic, which he did often. Joey didn't mind it much, so long as the topic wasn't discussed in Mokuba's presence. However since the boy had almost seen him naked just now, that line was pretty much crossed.

Despite his claims that he would attend school today, the older teen chose to stay in his bed for a little while longer, enjoying the view as his nude boyfriend made urgent sprints back and forth to retrieve his scattered clothes. He was hurriedly slipping on his sneakers when he finally noticed the stare he was receiving. "What's with you?"

Kaiba just grinned. "Fetch, boy."

Amber eyes narrowed dangerously, and in the days when Joey would fight on the streets, his expression could send even the biggest and meanest gang leader running home to his mommy. Seto Kaiba just grinned back.

Still glaring, Joey went over to the mahogany dresser and pulled out an emerald green t-shirt. "You know, it'll take you a while to get ready, school starts in a half-hour, and it takes ten minutes to get to Domino High by limo. You really need to get dressed."

The CEO paused for a second, then shrugged, and casually rose out of bed, mindful but uncaring of his nudity as he walked to the bathroom. Joey however raised a brow at the sight of his naked lover. How much time did they have again?

He took off his shoe, realizing that he forgot to put on his socks. Said socks were currently flung on the other side of the room. Growling, he zipped over to grab the little Hanes anklets. '_Damned insatiable Kaiba…_.'Just as he finished lacing up his shoes, Seto came striding out of the large bathroom just as confidently as he came in, hair styled and body fully-dressed. Long fingers were re-combing soft brown hair when the teen realized Joey's lower jaw was almost to the floor. "What?"

"How did you do that?" His lover asked incredulously.

A smug grin glued to his face, Kaiba grabbed a denim jacket from the stand by his dresser and tossed it to the blonde. "It's called organization puppy."

A red lower lip pouted. "I've been living just fine without organization."

Kaiba sighed. Just as he opened his mouth Joey said, "And don't you _dare_ say anything along the lines of 'old dogs new tricks,' okay?"

Seto chuckled and grabbed his bag, leaving Joey to clamber after him while trying to put on the jacket.

(Limo)

Joey finished off the last of his Instant Breakfast, and hurriedly placed his books back into the bag. The limo was pulling up to Mokuba's elementary school, which meant it was his stop as well. Domino High wasn't very from here, and since Seto and Joey had agreed not to tell anyone about their relationship, he would get dropped off here so no one would know that he and Seto were together. It wasn't that the blonde was ashamed of his relationship with the CEO. Hell, far from it; he was proud that Seto Kaiba was his boyfriend. But he didn't feel it was quite time yet for his friends to know that he was intimate with the head of a multi-billion dollar company…not to mention Yami's rival.

Mokuba smiled at his older brother. "I'm glad you're finally going back to school Seto."

The brunette rolled his eyes. "Mokuba, you have a triple digit IQ, and most of the students in there just barely make double-digit. You know it's a similar situation at my high school, so what exactly do we stand to learn here?"

Without missing a beat, Mokuba beamed innocently up at his nii-sama, "People skills."

His brother groaned at this while Joey laughed outright, holding up his hand to high-five the younger teen.

There was a tap from the other side of the privacy shield, indicating they had reached Domino Elementary & Junior High. Mokuba gave his brother one more grin before giving him a crushing hug and gathering his things.

Joey hoisted his bag over his shoulder before he turned to his boyfriend. "If you want, I'll head over after school."

Seto smiled; the warm, tender smile that he loved to stare at. "Sure."

The blonde smiled back and leaned over to give his love a soft kiss.

"Oh, Gross!"

Joey glared jokingly at Mokuba, who was grinning like a madman as he opened the door to the limo and jumped out. After a last wave to Kaiba, Joey slid out of the limo and shut the door, watching as the sleek car drove towards D.H.

"Seeya this afternoon Joey!" The raven-haired boy ran towards the school, arms outstretched in eagerness as Joey shook his head. That kid approached school with the same enthusiasm that he approached food. Now that was just wrong!

Sighing, the blonde started walking to high school.

(Gym)

"Hey guys, check this out!"

Yugi was busy teaching Yami how to serve a volleyball; Tristan and Duke were on the bleachers chatting; Ryou, Bakura, and Téa was waiting for the serve when Joey suddenly called his friends over to his side of the gym.

Joey was summoned for getting the equipment today, however since his gym shorts had no pockets, he had to make two trips: one to get the balls, bats, mitts, etc.; and the other to retrieve the key from the teacher to go back and lock the equipment cabinet. He was just finishing up his second trip when he discovered something amazing.

His friends assembled around him, and watched as the blonde put the single key on the floor, and spread his legs until they were about two feet apart.

Yugi tilted his head, perplexed. "So?"

Téa, who was commonly known for picking on Joey put a hand on her hip, sarcastically saying, "Ooh, wow Joey, that's so incredible."

The blonde scowled at her for a second, before he directed his gaze in some unknown direction. His lips moved like he was mentally counting, and he gently bounced on his feet in time with his count. From what his spectators could tell, he made it to three, before he suddenly jumped down into a full-blown split.

"Ahh!" Tristan shouted, his hazel eyes wide as he painfully bit his knuckle.

Duke gave a low whistle, seemingly impressed.

Yugi's already wide eyes widened and his jaw almost hit the floor.

Bakura tilted his head while Ryou uncomfortably squirmed with his hands near the hem of his gym shorts.

Yami scratched the back of his head with a smirk while Téa just stared, eyes the size of dinner plates. "Wow Joey…when did you learn that?"

The blonde shrugged casually, and surveyed his body. "I don't know. I was making my way back to Coach when I slipped on someone's gym sock and I ended up like this. The weird part is, it doesn't hurt at all…"

Yugi dropped the volleyball he was holding and leaned down, bracing his hands on his tiny knees as he inspected the pose at a closer angle. "Wow…that really doesn't hurt?"

Tilting his head, the blonde chose to let his cocky side make an appearance. "Well, no. But don't get me wrong Yugi! This isn't a trick for anyone to try at home. You have to have plenty of practice."

Bakura snorted. "First of all, you said you came upon this trick by accident, second what kind of practice? Spreading your legs?"

Ryou, apparently recovering from his sympathy pains gave his yami a hard slap to his arm. "Ow!"

The blonde duelist just crossed his arms in a huff, hoping no one could see the red on his cheeks. He and Seto _had_ been rather active lately…was it possible?

"As a matter of fact _no_, not that kind of practice! The ki---"

He was interrupted suddenly when he felt a sharp jerk to his leg, almost knocking him out of position. The only thing that stopped him from falling was his hands as he braced himself from the floor. "What the hell?"

The teen looked over at his leg and gasped. Kaiba had tripped over his leg; how he didn't know, but now the CEO of Kaiba Corp was flat on his face.

He covered his mouth to stop the tirade of concerned questions from escaping his lips. Instead, he cleared his throat loudly as the brunette attempted to stand. "Watch where you're going Kaiba!"

The brunette turned to him with a glare as he rose unsteadily to his feet. Now he had gotten relatively good at reading his boyfriends emotions, but right now was one of those times where he couldn't tell if that glower was real or not. "Me? You're the idiot mutt who had his leg sticking out right in front of the gym entrance! What's the matter, can't find a fire hydrant?"

He turned to glance behind him, realizing sheepishly that he was right in front of the door, right in the path of anyone trying to get in. "Uh…"

"What are you doing anyway," the CEO asked distractedly as he brushed himself off, resting his weight on one foot.

Wheeler looked down at himself. "I was just doing the splits…if you really _must_ know."

The older teen stopped suddenly, his head jerking up to stare at Joey, his mouth wide open. The blonde blinked, beginning to wonder what he was staring at when he suddenly caught something in those blue eyes. He knew that look; that heated, aroused look his boyfriend got that was usually reserved for the privacy of Kaiba's bedroom. The blonde looked down at his spread legs again, realizing that maybe Seto was thinking the same thing Joey had thought about his sudden ability to do the splits. "C-can you do that all the time?"

He looked up, knowing they were stepping into some dangerous territory with this conversation, but the heat in his lover's eyes was just too irresistible to ignore. "I don't know…I just found out I could do them today."

Seto stared for another second or two before he smirked broadly. "Well, I guess old dogs _can_ learn new tricks."

Joey glared at him, for more than one reason when he realized that it was Seto's subtle reference to what transpired this morning. "See you geeks later…"

The boy walked over to their gym teacher, shifting his weight a little awkwardly.

"Okay…that was a bit of a weird exchange if you don't mind my saying so," Duke said thoughtfully.

"Yeah." Secretly smiling to himself, the blonde realized happily that if he really could do this new trick all the time then this lead to…a whole new array of possibilities for him and his lover.

Realizing that he was getting distracted, the boy attempted to push himself off the ground, when he was struck with an impasse. He growled, and tried again. Ryou noticed the blonde having a bit of a problem, tilting his head in concern. "What's wrong Joey?"

The blonde made one last go at getting to his feet before he gave a self-mocking chuckle. "Guys…lesson number one…the splits are like a minefield. Easy to getting into…getting out is the problem."

Joey stepped into the mansion, dropping his bag in the lobby before shouting, "SETO!" His voice echoed off the atrium walls.

"In the office," came a reply.

The mutt grinned, proudly strutting into the office, a manila folder clutched in his hand. He opened his mouth to greet the other, but was struck by a sight that made him gasp.

Seto on the couch, typing away at his keyboard with his glasses no surprise, but he had his foot on the glass coffee table, perched on a velvet pillow, covered by an icepack. The brunette noticed him, and resumed typing. "It looks worse than it is; Mokuba was just worried so---"

"Was this my fault?"

The CEO sighed, knowing exactly what was coming, so he tried to side-step it. "I should have watched where I was go---"

"Oh my god! Seto, I'm so sorry!"

The brunette sighed again, placed his glasses in their case as Joey rushed over and inspected the ankle, as if he knew any remote thing about medicine. "Relax Joe, it really isn't your fault."

"Ow…did you see a doctor?"

Thin arms crossed. "Mokuba insisted."

The blonde looked up at him impatiently. "And?"

Pale shoulders shrugged. "I just have a stretched tendon. It's nothing to be concerned about; I just need to keep off my feet for the next two days."

Joey frowned, and asked the question he knew he probably wouldn't get an honest answer for anyway. "Does it hurt?"

Cobalt eyes rolled. "No, mother."

His slim eyebrow cocked. "Poor baby." Removing the ice pack for a moment, the blonde leaned down, and as tenderly as possible, he pressed a kiss to the chilled flesh. When he looked up at the teen again, he was smiling.

"So what's with the folder?"

Joey looked down at the manila envelope in his hands and eagerly pounced upon the couch beside his boyfriend, looking down at the loaded task bar as he spoke. Greeted with a more familiar sight this time, Joey noted that his lover was clouded with tasks: CALCULATOR, DM CARD SYSTEM, KAIBA CORP. FINANCES, SCHEDULE, DOCUMENT ONE, SOLITAIRE, MSN MESSENGER, GAMER MSN WINDOW, awfully busy aren't you?"

Kaiba shrugged. "Trying to keep busy; Mokuba wont let me go anywhere without some kind of assistance and since its' the middle of the day there obviously isn't anything on TV but soap operas and talk shows."

Amber eyes glittered in guilt. "I'm so sorry Seto."

"Oh for crying out loud, you didn't do it on purpose!" Seto said impatiently, almost tearing his thin-framed glasses off his head.

He blushed and scratched the back of his head, knowing full and well that his love wasn't blaming him, he still felt guilty. "Now you didn't answer me, what's in there?"

The blonde looked down, and grinned triumphantly, Kaiba's attempt to change the topic completely working. The file was thick; when he opened it the boy had to catch some of the pages so they wouldn't spill out. "It's the job applications I got today. Apparently Domino's really anxious to get some people working. Almost every place I went to today had a whole stack sitting out."

Placing his reading glasses back on, the older duelist took the folder and flipped through some of the applications. "Burger World? Wouldn't having both you and Téa there increase the risk of discovery?"

Hair shined as the blonde flicked his hair back, causing the brunette to temporarily forget the topic at hand. He loved it when the sun shined through his hair that way; their rays setting off the blonde tresses just right so they glittered an array of amber and reds.

"---ly there as a back-up. Like I said, I don't expect everyone to downright refuse me, but if necessary why not have the option, eh?"

"R-right." He continued to look over the applications, stunned suddenly when he noticed a very familiar company logo. "You applied to Kaiba Corp.?"

Tanned cheeks turned a light shade of red. "Yeah, I didn't think there'd be a problem with it."

Kaiba looked at the application more thoroughly, knowing his company had at least thirty _types_ of application files, due to the high amount of work required for the company it was necessary. When he discovered what category of form it was, the CEO uncharacteristically burst out into laughter.

Joey only reddened more. "What's so funny?"

Brushing a tear from his eye, Seto murmured, "You are applying to the most technologically advanced companies in this _country_, let alone this city…and you want a job as an automotive mechanic?"

The puppy crossed his arms angrily. "What do I know about computers? But I know a lot about cars. Before Tristan and me became such goodie-two-shoes we used to do stuff that would get us in all kinds of trouble."

The taller duelist smirked. "You mean _did_ get you into trouble."

The blonde grinned smugly. "Nope. We always managed to get out of trouble? And how do you think we managed to do that?"

He pretended to think, pensively putting a finger to his chin. "Hm…no doubt something very illegal."

Joey chuckled, and playfully whacked Seto's arm before leaning in to cuddle against it. "Only a little. Whenever we were about to get busted I could always hi-jack the nearest car and get us out of there in ten minutes, tops."

Seto laughed again, sneering down at the blonde snuggled against him fondly. "Is that what you intend to put on your résumé? I can hi-jack a Mitsubishi in under ten minutes?"

Amber eyes glared up at him. "No!"

As quickly as the anger came it had vanished; the boy scooting closer to the CEO. "I was hoping my genius boyfriend could help me in that department."

Kaiba smiled warmly down at his lover, brushing blonde bangs aside so he could kiss his forehead. "I'd be happy to. Where is it?"

Eyes glazed over, voice soft, Joey asked, "Hm? Where's what?"

The smile broadened as he was reminded of how easily he could distract his puppy. "Your résumé, love. Where is it?"

Joey blinked again, as if he was still confused, then his eyes widened and he smacked his forehead, coming dangerously close to whacking Seto in the process. "Crap! We had to do it for an assignment a while back, I left it at home!"

Seto frowned, and withdrew slightly from the boy. "Well we can just write a new one out, you don't have to go back to that house."

The puppy rolled his eyes again. "Seto, I'm going to have to go over there at some point anyway to get my stuff so I can move in." In an effort to calm his lover he leaned forward and kissed warm lips still creased in a frown. "I can just empty my book bag and take it with me so I can grab stuff while I'm there. Pretty much everything I want out of that house could fit in it."

Still unsure, the CEO shifted his eyes over to his laptop. A habit Joey had noticed long before they had become lovers. Whenever Seto had to think something over he would always retreat to something pertaining to work. It was a haven for him; a place where he could take time to think things through, like times when Joey's help just wouldn't do.

He could understand that. Whenever he needed to think things through he would play his video games. Just like being at work for Seto, playing video games gave him time to think, and the safety of privacy.

"Only if you _swear_ that you'll hurry back as possible."

The younger duelist smiled. "Thanks, Seto."

After a quick kiss to much more responsive lips, the blonde rose to get his bag, but was caught by a firm hand. He gave a useless tug, and gave his boyfriend a perplexed, if not somewhat amused, look. "What?"

There it was. The wicked, depraved grin the CEO would always get on his face when he was getting naughty ideas. "One other condition."

The blonde huffed and put a hand on his hip. "And what would that be?"

Blue eyes closed, before a long finger was slowly and deliberately tracing the lines on the boy's jacket. "You promise to give me a private showing of that new trick you learned when you get back."

Confused the younger teen blinked. "New trick?"

The same eyes opened again, sparkling in deviousness. "Oh you know. That new trick you learned in gym today?"

Joey's brows furrowed, before they popped wide in realization. Grinning, he tugged his hand again, this time managing to free it as he shouted in delight, "I'll be back soon!"


End file.
